Air 2 High Falls - Lake Glenville, NC

[tlswift58]

Every so often Duke Power does a release of Lake Glenville near Cashiers, NC on the weekends. The first Saturday release was a rainy / bad drone flying day - so we went on Sunday and bright and sunny. Dam was already a bit open so more than normal flow pre - release. Then at 10 am they open the sluice gates and a torrent of water comes flowing down the river bed. Take about 5 minutes to hit High Falls and then it gets real crazy. Typically a bunch of kayakers go down river from the falls, but think Hurricane Zeta back in the fall dropped A LOT of trees into the river and across part of the trail - making it a bit rougher hiking in. I got up high - as there is another fall - called First Falls up river before High Falls that is typically not seen or anyone goes to - no real trail to it and most people do not know it exists. It's first to get the mass flow and has a nice drop as well. Flying in a bowl presents many issues - GPS signal acquiring and such. We picked a good open spot - yet when the falls is fully flowing - a ton of spray and I got soaked in the process. Not ot mention landing a drone in a precarious spot with lots of wind and water spray. WE ALL DID FINE, other than fairly cool - about 60 degrees that morning.

Picture is pre -release flow - so compare the differences.

 

[Marcass Carcass]

I love going up there, amazing scenery!!! Except the hike back up. LOL

 

[tlswift58]

I love going up there, amazing scenery!!! Except the hike back up. LOL

Oh, I don't do the lake to falls hike. Did once and never again. There is a lower access off 107 that is flatter to some degree and you pass Thurston Hatcher Falls as well - so a 2'fer.

Here's Thurston Hatcher Falls. On private property - but if river is low - you cna cross it thru shallower water than when we went - since the dam gates were flowing before they opened them more.

 

[tlswift58]

I love going up there, amazing scenery!!! Except the hike back up. LOL

Onion Falls, right off the dam / spillway / lake is decent when they open the gates. Can drone from right off the roadside and capture it pretty well. There are power lines above the top part - so have to be careful when flying around them.

 

[Karlewski]

Interesting, amazing what the drone can find. . .I usually only see some of the cool little things when I'm back home editing. Who knows how many more falls are stashed out there in the rough. . . .

 

[Marcass Carcass]

Oh, I don't do the lake to falls hike. Did once and never again. There is a lower access off 107 that is flatter to some degree and you pass Thurston Hatcher Falls as well - so a 2'fer.

Here's Thurston Hatcher Falls. On private property - but if river is low - you cna cross it thru shallower water than when we went - since the dam gates were flowing before they opened them more.

Yep, I did the that hike ONCE, and that was 20 years ago. It about took me out, I still smoked and drank back then...LOL,...

 

[tlswift58]

Interesting, amazing what the drone can find. . .I usually only see some of the cool little things when I'm back home editing. Who knows how many more falls are stashed out there in the rough. . . .

I knew that fall was back there, but since it's super hard to get to via scramble / etc - nobody seems to do it but the super hard core folks and we have some of those around.

Just SO MUCH EASIER to pop the drone up and fly to it and back. Most waterfalls I have drone so far are a bit like this - maybe no a large surprise fall way way back -but following the river / creek up is an adventure to me as well. I also fly downstream to see what goes on down there - as much of the time it has not been really explored and hard to get to.

Drone ate PERFECT for waterfalling when flown correctly. They can be death to a drone, as I've seen others do it a few times - as they like to skim the water really low and fast.